Household Energy Use Research Articles

Impact of biogas adoption on household energy use and livelihood improvement in Kenya: an overview on a roadmap toward sustainability

Purpose This study assesses the impact of biogas adoption on household energy use and livelihood improvement. Also, this study aims to clarify the benefits of biogas adoption as a pathway to sustainable household energy. Design/methodology/approach The study explored the benefits of adopting biogas uptake. Fourteen sustainability indicators were identified, validated and categorized. Findings Adopting biogas technology provides numerous benefits, including better air quality, reduced deforestation and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Households can replace up to 4.5 tons of wood fuel, cutting CO2 emissions by around 6.75 tons annually. This shift saves approximately US$25 (Ksh.3223) monthly and frees up 45.5 h per week, enabling families to pursue additional income-generating activities. Biogas also produces digestate, a natural fertilizer that improves soil fertility, water retention and reduces erosion while minimizing the need for chemical fertilizers. Integrating biogas in livestock housing reduces odors, pathogens and methane emissions. Research limitations/implications The findings demonstrate numerous social, economic and environmental implications of biogas use. Social implications Health benefits include lower exposure to smoke and particulate matter, particularly benefiting women and children by reducing respiratory issues, improving lighting and enhancing educational opportunities. Biogas further improves hygiene, promotes cleanliness, strengthens energy security and alleviates energy poverty. In addition, the construction, operation and maintenance of biogas systems create jobs, and the use of digestate enhances agricultural productivity. Originality/value This study provides a unique and thorough analysis of the benefits of biogas, offering valuable insights and outlining a sustainable approach.

Green means go: The effect of a visualization tool towards increased use of renewable energy in households

There is a need to further develop digital and hardware tools to support consumers in the adaptation of their energy use to, for example, integrate renewable sources into it and/or reduce expenses. This paper presents an evaluation study of a tool, including its hardware and software versions, that supports consumers in their electricity consumption optimization, most notably concerning renewable energies for specific devices. We conducted a six-week study in Oldenburg, Germany involving 43 participants divided into three groups: one hardware and one digital variant each of an energy visualization tool, as well as a control group. We furthermore collected quantitative data on energy usage patterns and qualitative insights through semi-structured interviews. Here the participants received information about the percentage of renewable energy currently in the grid, and were asked to document their washing machine and dishwasher use. This paper provides insights into the perception of the proposed visualization tools achieved through semi-structured interviews, comparing the digital and hardware versions, while outlining the challenges of and possibilities for changing energy use behavior, especially regarding the time of day of an appliance's use. Even though the measurable influences of the tool were limited due to thresholds being reached too easily as a result of e.g. high wind levels generating higher-than-anticipated amounts of renewable energy, in terms of the amount of renewable energy use, slight improvements in the two test groups were observed compared to the control group. Regarding consumer behavior, changes in the appliances' use time show slightly higher improvement compared to the control group.

EOS: Impact Evaluation of Electric Vehicle Adoption on Peak Load Shaving Using Agent-Based Modeling

The increasing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) by the general population creates an opportunity to deploy the energy storage capability of EVs for performing peak energy shaving in their households and ultimately in their neighborhood grid during surging demand. However, the impact of the adoption rate in a neighborhood might be counterbalanced by the energy demand of EVs during off-peak hours. Therefore, achieving optimal peak energy shaving is a product of a sensitive balancing process that depends on the EV adoption rate. In this paper, we propose EOS, an agent-based simulation model, to represent independent household energy usage and estimate the real-time neighborhood energy consumption and peak shaving energy amount of a neighborhood. This study uses Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) and the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data to model realistic real-time household energy use. We evaluate the impact of the EV adoption rates of a neighborhood on performing energy peak shaving during sudden energy surges. Our findings reveal these trade-offs and, specifically, a reduction of up to 30% of the peak neighborhood energy usage for the optimal neighborhood EV adoption rate in a 1089 household neighborhood.

The influence of disruptive events on energy-related household practices: Results of a longitudinal study in the Netherlands

Household energy use relates to our socio-cultural identity, our socio-economic status and the socio-cultural and material contexts in which we live. Around the world, households experienced dramatic changes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the drastic increase of energy prices following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Habits and routines were disrupted, reinterpreted, reorganized and renegotiated, albeit under constraints and in most cases involuntarily. This paper analyses how the practice of ‘keeping warm’ responds to disruptive events ranging from a small-scale and short-lived experiment to much more drastic and far-reaching geopolitical events. Following an initial study challenging households to reduce temperatures inside their homes during October/November 2018, the same households were revisited for follow-up questioning two and a half years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and six months after the attack of Russian armed forces on Ukraine. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected before, during, and three months as well as three years after the original ‘heating challenge’. The final follow-up survey took place in August 2022 and turned the initial short-lived Living Lab-based experiment into a longitudinal study.The experimental exploration of possibilities to reduce household energy use through the disruption of routinized practices in Living Labs enables an analysis of the effects of disruptive events, including the role of values, social norms, habits and routines (Sahakian et al., 2021). But what happens, when experiments get serious and large-scale upheaval affecting many challenges and changes meanings, thus contributing to changes in social norms and practices? This research explores lasting-changes in energy-related household practices following voluntary disruptive experimentation and subsequent involuntary disruptions. Compared to the macro-systemic disruptions experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the more recent energy crisis, the disruptions induced through the initial ‘heating challenge’ are of a much smaller magnitude. Our findings show that reductions in energy use are possible when routinized practices are disrupted through voluntary experimentation. In addition, our results indicate that the meanings tied up with indoor comfort had changed due to the initial experiment and that participants who initially experimented in an interactive community setting had learned more about how to connect, share experiences and reflections to adapt to other, also large-scale disruptions collaboratively.

Physical, socio-psychological, and behavioural determinants of household energy consumption in the UK

Determining which attitudes and behaviours predict household energy consumption can help accelerate the low-carbon energy transition. Conventional approaches in this domain are limited, often relying on survey methods that produce data on individuals’ motivations and self-reported activities without pairing these with actual energy consumption records, which are particularly hard to collect for large, nationally representative samples. This challenge precludes the development of empirical evidence on which attitudes and behaviours influence patterns of energy consumption, thus limiting the extent to which these can inform energy interventions or conservation programs. This study demonstrates a novel methodology for estimating energy consumption in the absence of actual energy records by using a large, publicly available data set of energy consumption in the UK. We develop a predictive model using the Smart Energy Research Laboratory (SERL) data portal (with records from nearly 13,000 UK households) and then use this model to predict energy consumption (both electric and gas) for a sample of 1,000 UK householders for which we separately collect over 200 variables relating to climate change attitudes and practices. Our approach uses a set of over 50 independent variables that are shared between the data sets, allowing us to train a model on the SERL data and use it to analyse the relationship between energy consumption and the opinions, motivations, and daily practices of survey respondents. Results show that electricity consumption is influenced by a broader range of factors compared to gas. Household energy use is best explained by physical dwelling characteristics, socio-demographic variables, and certain behavioural and attitudinal measures. Notably, pro-environmental attitudes, frugality, and conscientiousness correlate with lower energy use, while income and consumerism are linked to higher consumption. We discuss how these findings can inform efforts to decarbonise home energy use in the UK.

Mobilizing carbon offsetting to reduce energy cost burdens: a new approach for calculating and monetizing the offset value of energy efficiency upgrades to low-income housing

Energy-inefficient buildings are a major driver of climate change. The aging, energy inefficient housing occupied by low-income households in the US and other high-income countries is a driver of notable environmental and health disparities as well. Public policies for alleviating the financial and health burdens of energy inefficient housing have existed for decades, but fallen short of reaching most households in need. This paper proposes a promising new approach to filling gaps left by public programs — one that relies on mobilizing the tools of private governance, carbon offsetting and the voluntary carbon market (VCM) to finance energy upgrades for low-income households. We develop a new and readily applicable methodology for calculating energy and carbon savings from efficiency upgrades based on readily accessible publicly available data. Tailored to the needs of estimating energy and carbon savings from efficiency upgrades to low-income units, rentals in particular, this methodology can be fruitfully deployed in monetizing the carbon savings from efficiency driven reductions in household energy use. Specifically, we propose packaging the emission reductions generated through energy savings as carbon offsets, then selling these offsets on the voluntary carbon market to generate financing for energy upgrades to low-income homes not served by public energy efficiency programs. Given the multiple economic and health co-benefits from low-income energy upgrades, we expect that carbon offsets generated through such upgrades will be attractive to many corporate and institutional offset buyers, particularly those who seek to fulfill climate commitments while also advancing economic and human development in their host communities.

Environmental Impacts of Household Solar Energy Use Adoption in Murang’a County, Kenya

Although Kenya enjoys an abundant of sunshine throughout the year, most households in counties like Murang’a still use non-renewable sources of energy for their energy needs. Globally, households account for approximately 40% of energy consumption per annum with most needs being heating, air conditioning, cooling and lighting. Environmental management is now a global goal with over 197 nations endorsing a framework that promotes positive environmental impact through renewable energy and reduced C02 emissions during COP21 in Paris. This research mainly focused on positive environmental impacts of solar energy use adoption within households in Murang’a County, Kenya. Guided by the transition theory, the research applied anticipated transitions to discuss different aspects of solar energy use adoption in the county and the impact they have on the environment. This qualitative and quantitative study sought to explore perspectives of various households on solar energy use and how the adoption has positively impacted the environment. The data used for the study was collected from 384 randomly selected households in four constituencies in Murang’a County. The findings of the study established low adoption rates of households’ solar energy use and a direct correlation of adoption levels with the awareness levels for most of the study population. Moreover, the study confirmed the hypothesis that solar energy use adoption in households positively influenced environment through management strategies and improved livelihoods. Furthermore, policy measures to support training as well as financial support would go a long way in increasing uptake of solar energy use in households in Murang’a County thus positively influencing the environment through management strategies such as renewable energy use

Household Wattch: Exploring Opportunities for Surveillance and Consent through Families’ Household Energy Use Data

Household energy use data may contain sensitive inferences into family life, yet its potential for surveillance is imperfectly understood. To explore this space, we developed Household Wattch, a speculative eco-feedback ‘provotype’ that profiles households according to their energy use data. Evaluated by 16 participants from Australian households engaged in an 18-month energy use monitoring trial, Household Wattch elicited users’ perceptions and expectations about a near future where energy use data is a useful yet potentially sensitive commodity when analysed. We highlight challenges and opportunities for energy use data across three scales: (1) Within the household, (2) Beyond the household (e.g., sharing energy data with third parties) and (3) Post-household (e.g., what happens to energy data when a household re-configures or disbands). Findings suggest users may require support in understanding the sensitivities of their energy use data, particularly when deciding whether to share it with third parties. Opportunities exist for accidental or deliberate surveillance via energy use data, and these need to be identified and managed. Provotypes represent a useful tool for navigating this space, and we provide considerations for how they can support users in speculating over possible energy futures.

Pengaruh Konsumsi Energi Sektor Industri, Rumah Tangga, dan Transportasi terhadap Emisi Karbon di Indonesia

Greenhouse gases (GHGs), particularly carbon emissions, are one of the effects of globalization. Consumption of energy for daily activities and necessities influences the rise in carbon emissions. From 1990 to 2021, this study will look at how energy use in the transportation, household, and industrial sectors affects Indonesia's carbon emissions. The research approach is a quantitative one based on secondary time series data sourced from the International Energy Agency (IEA) website. Multiple linear regression analysis methods are used to conduct the analysis. Energy consumption in the household sector has a negative and significant impact on Indonesia's carbon emissions from 1990 to 2021, while energy consumption in the industrial and transportation sectors has a positive and significant impact. The household sector has reduced its use of biomass, switched to electricity and LPG, and implemented energy efficiency. The research suggests that the use of energy in the transportation and industrial sectors has a positive impact due to their continued reliance on fossil fuel-derived non-renewable energy. The fact that an increase in household energy use will result in a decrease in carbon emissions, which can contribute to an improvement in the quality of the environment, indicates that the negative impact of household energy use is actually positive.

For cash, the planet, or for both: Evaluating an informational intervention for energy consumption reduction

Reductions in residential energy demand (especially by high-consuming households) are critical for climate change mitigation. Interventions that inform people about their energy use and its consequences may encourage them to reduce energy consumption, but such informational interventions have not always been found to be effective. In addition, little is known about the factors that determine the effectiveness of informational interventions. Here, we examined the effect of an informational intervention campaign on household energy use (electricity and gas) in Mechelen, Belgium. Neighborhoods were randomized to different variants of the intervention that emphasized the monetary, environmental, or monetary and environmental consequences of saving energy. Across a three-year study period, we observed significantly larger reductions (two additional percentage points) in gas consumption in the intervention city than in four comparable control cities. This effect was largely driven by reductions in neighborhoods with high baseline levels of gas consumption. No substantial changes were found between neighborhoods that received monetary information, environmental information, or both. Our findings support the effectiveness of informational interventions for the reduction of energy use, point to the special role of high-consuming households, and can inform the design of future intervention campaigns.

Modeling associations between household energy use and ambient PM2.5 levels using low-cost sensors in rural Tamil Nadu, India

Modeling associations between household energy use and ambient PM2.5 levels using low-cost sensors in rural Tamil Nadu, India

Beyond grassland degradation: Pathways to resilience for pastoralist households in alpine grassland ecosystems

Sustaining the development of rural and pastoral communities' hinges on livelihood resilience. Pastoralist household resilience relies on resource availability and decision-making abilities. Despite extensive studies on pastoralist livelihoods, a significant knowledge gap remains in understanding the nuanced adaptive capacities of diverse households, particularly amid grassland degradation. Thus, this study investigates the household-based livelihood resilience of pastoralists in China's Three-River Headwater Region, offering policy recommendations for resilient livelihoods. Using stratified random sampling, 758 pastoralist household heads underwent semi-structured interviews to collect data. Five household characteristics, encompassing age, gender, energy use, well-being perception, and multi-household grazing participation, were evaluated. Looking ot the nature of data, descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were performed in this study to draw the valid inferences. The results revealed a positive correlation (p < 0.05) between household head age and livelihood resilience, with divergent resilience across age groups. Varied energy usage yielded distinct impacts; households employing solar or mixed energy sources exhibited heightened resilience (p < 0.05). Household well-being emerged as an invariant variable concerning resilience. Furthermore, engagement in multi-household grazing (an informal institution) significantly (p < 0.05) influenced pastoralist livelihood resilience. These insights advocate targeted support for young household heads and the adoption of clean energy. Exploring the deeper strategies and mechanisms of multi-household grazing can enhance understanding and policy integration, guiding eco-friendly progress within rustic landscapes for pastoral communities.

Beyond air pollution: a national assessment of cooking-related burns in Ghana

IntroductionHousehold energy transitions have the potential to reduce the burden of several health outcomes but have narrowly focused on those mediated by reduced exposure to air pollution, despite concerns about...

Correlation of woodfuel production participation among rural households in the drylands of Ethiopia

Woodfuel production and consumption have been a concern for multiple stakeholders involved in household energy use, deforestation, and climate change. While research into the underlying decision-making process is growing, it remains insufficient. Such a study offers opportunities to develop policies that enable diversification of household energy consumption and livelihood options away from woodfuel use. Policymakers often lack an understanding of factors correlated with households' participation in woodfuel production. Therefore, this study examined the correlation between household participation in woodfuel production and factors that influence households' participation in woodfuel production in dryland areas of Ethiopia. Data were collected from 1,114 purposively selected woodfuel-producing and non-producing households through household surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. The sample included 775 participant households and 339 non-participant households. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression model. The results revealed that drought and related shocks are the main factors that forced households to participate in woodfuel production. The model results indicated that age, education, landholding, livestock holding, production asset value, ownership of improved cook stoves, number of years lived in the area, distance from the forest, access to forest extension, and institutional membership are statistically significant factors that negatively influence household participation in woodfuel production. On the other hand, household expenditure and drought occurrence positively and significantly influence the participation of households in woodfuel production. The findings of the study suggest that sustainable management and utilization of dryland forest resources require considering socioeconomic, demographic, institutional, and environmental factors correlated with households' decisions to participate in woodfuel production. This can be achieved through sound institutional setups and policy frameworks in the sector.

Do we accurately measure what we consume?

Understanding how consumption patterns affect the environment and shape well-being hinges on the rationale that the data collected on what is consumed, who consumes it, and where it is consumed are indeed accurate. To identify these consumption patterns and recommend corresponding policies, researchers and policy makers often rely on national surveys. Studies have explored the accuracy of individual surveys and the level of agreement across surveys of the same type (e.g. household expenditures), but no studies have compared representative national surveys measuring consumption in different ways. This study compares household consumption measured as expenditures and as material consumption (i.e. physical units) to assess how well we currently measure what we consume. We use multiple rigorous, national surveys to estimate meat consumption, household energy use, and private automobile use in the United States, with consumption profiles parsed by affluence, race/ethnicity, and education. Our results indicate that commonly used surveys may not accurately track important aspects of household consumption. For meat consumption, which included 30 consumption profiles detailing the consumption patterns across different demographic characteristics and meat types (e.g. kilograms beef consumed/capita for Caucasians), there is considerable disagreement between data sources for 20 profiles. By contrast, national surveys accurately measure household energy and transport (disagreement for four profiles). Our findings indicate that national surveys more accurately measure consistently tracked, standardized consumables like electricity than irregularly tracked, variable goods such as food. These results cast doubt on studies that use national surveys to draw conclusions about the how the environmental impacts of food, and, potentially, other goods (e.g. manufactured goods) vary across demographic groups. Overcoming this challenge will necessitate new surveys, updating legacy databases, and harnessing breakthroughs in data science.

Impacts of intermittent water supply on household electricity demand: An econometric analysis for the Pune Metropolitan Region, India

Private household water and energy use are closely linked, especially in areas of intermittent water supply where more than one billion people live globally. However, the demand-side Water-Energy Nexus at the household level is often overlooked in empirical econometric studies. Based on a household survey (n = 1872) on water and energy in the Pune Metropolitan Region, India, we find statistical relationships between intermittent water supply and household electricity demand. More than 90 % of the surveyed households use water storage to cope with water supply intermittency, low-income households are particularly affected. Electricity consumption for water access accounts for 27 % of total household electricity consumption. Using a Discrete-Continuous Choice model, we identify significant impacts from factors such as household size and income, electricity price, and particularly the duration of water supply and the use of large water storage on household electricity demand. Our results indicate that households with 24-h water access consume 30 % less electricity than those with 12-h daily access. Extending municipal piped water supply by 1 h per day for all households could reduce total household electricity consumption by 3 %. Our findings suggest that water supply intermittency is a massive cause of unnecessary emissions in cities around the world that has thus far received hardly any attention. The significant amount of electricity used to access water reveals a hidden water affordability problem that can be more prevalent during droughts. Our analyses highlight the demand-side Water-Energy Nexus from an econometric perspective and emphasize the importance of breaking down silos in resource management.

Exploring urban spatial heterogeneity and socio-environmental attributes of household greenhouse gas emissions

Understanding urban spatial heterogeneity of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from sectoral household consumption is crucial to facilitate moves towards low-carbon cities. In this study, we use Xiamen city of China as a case study to reveal the emission characteristics of household GHG as well as spatial heterogeneity. We conducted a face-to-face questionnaire survey and calculated GHG emissions of districts from household energy consumption, food consumption, transportation, housing, household waste and wastewater treatment. The GHG emissions and the amount of urban residential household consumption shows obvious spatial heterogeneity across districts. Total GHG emissions of Xiamen city were 8.39 Mt. CO2e, and average household and per capita of GHG emissions were 8.11 and 2.72 tCO2e, respectively. While total GHG emissions vary from 0.41 to 2.45 Mt. CO2e across six districts and range from 0.16 to 3.39 Mt. CO2e among six sectors. Household GHG emissions differ from 7.08 to 9.40 tCO2e, while the per capita emissions range between 2.41 to 3.14 tCO2e among districts. Results also showed that more urbanized areas with higher population density have larger total urban residential GHG emissions, whereas household emissions were comparatively lower in these areas. In contrast, our study did not show an (inverted-) U relationship or linear relationship between emissions and population, nor between emissions and income level. Household energy use is the largest sector emitting GHGs. These findings will be useful to underpin policy making towards low-carbon cities.

What can we say about the longer-term impacts of a living lab experiment to save energy at home?

There is a wide evidence base on various interventions to change energy behaviours in households, but limited evidence on their long-term effects. It is argued that interventions in individual behaviours are subject to attrition over time following the withdrawal of the intervention. Evaluation of these arguments is difficult since the conditions and composition of households change over time, making it hard to isolate the effects of a behavioural intervention several years later. Social practice theory argues for interventions that do not target individual attitudes or behaviours but focus instead on household practices (such as laundering and heating homes), and the underlying notions of cleanliness and comfort that are the causes of energy use in households. In contrast to behaviours, practices are also seen as socially shared, bundled with other practices, and embedded in social structures and processes. Practices are durable entities that persist over time; true practice change would hence entail durable intervention impacts. Our paper qualitatively investigates the long-term effects (2018–2023) of a practice-based living lab intervention that aimed to influence laundry and heating practices in Finnish households. We compare how the new or changed practices of 21 households, learned during the intervention, have persisted through societal changes (i.e., the Covid pandemic and the energy crisis), and whether these new or changed practices helped households to deal better with these crises. In this way, we contribute to, and also reframe, the problem of evaluating long-term effects, and critically consider the persistence of small-scale interventions in practices.

Increasing single households challenges household decarbonization in Japan

In light of societal shifts such as an aging population, delayed marriages, and higher rates of divorce, there's a notable rise in solitary living, affecting society, the economy, and the environment. To understand the implications of these demographic shifts, our research examines the nexus between solo living and its broader social-environmental consequences. Using Japan, one of the countries with the highest proportion of the elderly, as a reference, we explore the temporal fluctuations, gender-specific variances, and long-term trends in carbon footprints influenced by alterations in consumption behaviors. Results indicate that housing energy and food consumption remain the dominant carbon footprint contributors across all demographic sectors. Interestingly, single households present higher carbon footprints than non-single households, with those of single females surpassing their male counterparts due to increased household energy use and expenditures on clothing and healthcare. Following the demographic shifts, single households are expected to account for approximately 31.1% of Japan's emissions from households by 2040, challenging national decarbonization efforts due to their higher per capita emissions. This highlights the imperative for bespoke strategies, especially in resource allocation and sharing, to address the solo living challenge and ensure congruence with Japan's sustainability and decarbonization goals.

Valuing Interventions to Reduce Indoor Air Pollution— Fuelwood, Deforestation, and Health in Rural Nepal

Household energy use, forest and poverty are entangled in developing countries with environmental and health problems. Dependence on wood for cooking fuel generally increases the dependency of poor people on forests. This fuelwood consumption is not only linked to the forest environment, but also to the health of the inhabitants due to indoor air pollution. As the women are exposed more to the smoke pollution than the men, and children are more sensitive to it than adults, the issue of fuel is also linked with the gender and child issues. Fuelwood is the main source of cooking energy in Nepal and will remain so for foreseeable future. About 66 percent of households use wood as the main fuel for cooking. Only about 13 and eight percent households, mostly in urban areas, use kerosene and LPG respectively. The households using biogas as the main fuel is less than two percent [CBS (2002)]. One study shows that over 89 percent of total energy use in Nepal comes from the traditional fuels [ADB (2003)]. Wood and other biomass fuels (crop residues as well as animal dung) can substitute for each other, though most consumers have a general preference for wood over other biomass [FAO (1997)]. With socio-economic development, the fuel used by a household changes to better ones in the fuel-ladder. Everybody likes to maximise their utility by choosing more convenient and prestigious fuel subject to the budget constraint. Climbing the fuel-ladder generally means stepping up from dung cakes or crop residues, fuelwood, kerosene, biogas, LPG and ultimately to the electricity. Moving to the higher steps in the ladder means better respiratory health of the family members due to lower emission.